Olive-Mushroom Chicken Piccata

Cook up 6-8 oz. of your favorite thin spaghetti, to al dente. Drain, saving about a cup of the starchy pasta water, rinse in cold water to chill, then drain again, sprinkle on 1T dried parsley, and set aside.

A lot of home cooks and chefs swear the only way to serve pasta is piping hot, fresh drained, just after cooking. However, after reading articles such as ~this~, I now cook, drain and chill it, before reheating to serve it the first time.

Begin by sautéing the following over low-medium heat, for just a few minutes, until the chicken looses its pink color. Usually, truffle-infused EVOO should be only a finishing oil, but if you keep the heat low, definitely well under its smoke point, you can impart wonderful truffle flavor to dishes.

8 oz. small pieces of chicken

~or shrimp~ add these later*

a little of chopped purple shallot

1 clove or so of the sliced garlic

fresh ground black pepper

2-3T truffle-infused EVOO

Next add 8 oz. of mushrooms, continuing to stir and sauté a couple minutes. Add a couple ounces of the pasta water then cover, and let it steam on low heat. When it's sizzled a bit, remove the cover, turn up the heat and let it cook until half the cooking liquid is evaporated. Add the *(shrimp) rest of the chopped shallot, garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon.

After the garlic turns translucent, continue to evaporate the liquid, lightly browning everything. Add a little more of the cooking water and 1/3c of chopped olives and 1/3c of drained capers. Stir, shut off the heat and cover for a few minutes before adding the pasta to the pan and combining it.

Now combine 3-4oz. of hot pasta water with 1T chicken Better Than Bouillon. When that dissolves and cools a bit, stir it together with 1/2c sour cream. Pour this over everything in the pan, bring it to a bubble for just a minute or two, to thicken the sauce, cover and turn off the heat for a minute before serving. Sprinkle with a little half-sharp Hungarian paprika for a little pop of color and spicy-peppery heat.

I have other food for dinner tonight, but made this today since my lemons and mushrooms were starting to look tired.

This will taste much better chilled and reheated tomorrow, when eaten for the first time. . .Lin

Smoked Whitefish Omelette

I usually photograph my prep and finished dishes. I only post the ones I'd really recommend and lately that's been such a high percentage. As I ate this just now, I pondered that. I concluded that when I cook from my personal heart, love, cravings and preferences. . .that's the key.

The principle is simple. These choices are determined by the research I've done and discoveries I've made regarding my deeply personal, ingrained, food philosophy of creating 'Slow Food-Healthy Food.' Slow, not always in the sense of time taken, but rather, as opposed to chemical-laden, toxically-treated, over-processed, GMO'd-to-death, food-like cadavers. Fast food 'hamburgers, buns and fries' that, forgotten, in a desk drawer, and found, years later, still bear an uncanny resemblance to their just-made 'fresh' selves. Preserved in a way that those who mummified the Egyptian mummies would envy.

Today, after a really rough yesterday, I was craving some vegetables and good solid protein.

This is what beaconed.

2 green onions

3 big mushrooms

2T truffle* infused EVOO

fresh ground black pepper

1 extra large pasture-raised egg

1-2oz. smoked salmon

a nice sprinkle of shredded pepper jack cheese

Slice and sauté the vegetables, covered, for a few minutes in the oil. When these are almost done, crack in the egg, break the yolk and inner, thick white. Stir this just a little so the egg coats the vegetables a bit. Add the fish. Turn it, take off the heat, add the cheese, cover while you slice some fruit and/or vegetables to complete this yummy breakfast (lunch or dinner). Life is busy, I sure get that, but take a breath, then take the time to mindfully fix yourself at least one perfect plate a day and focus on the healthiness of it . . ☺️ . . Lin

*(I've heard and read truffle oil should only be used as a 'finishing' oil, after cooking. However, I've found it works so well for me when I want to lightly sauté anything needing those delicious mushroom overtones - Green Beans Almondene, Shrimp Scampi, Mushroom Beef, Chicken, Elk or Venison Stroganoff. Try it! Just keep the heat on the low side.)

Antipasto-Charcuterie Pasta

I had a little bowl of leftover pasta from the chicken-shrimp thing I made recently. I almost pitched it this morning. Then I noticed olives, pickles, and some other fun ingredients and decided to make this up. . .for breakfast today! 🙃

1c cooked thin spaghetti

1-2T truffle infused EVOO

everything bagel seasoning

Combine these in a little bowl, chop the following and add to the bowl:

1 thick slice Swiss cheese

4 baby dill pickles

5 Kalamata olives

1 big green onion

1/3 ripe avocado

1/2 small tomato

Toss all this together and heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave. Mmmm. . .Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, or a great, colorful, side to grilled fish, chicken, or steak. Pasta. . .It's not just for Marinara anymore .. 😊 .. Lin